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Laurence Yep was born 14 June 1948 in Sacramento, CA.

Ari, of Reading in Color began this meme!

How many of Laurence Yep’s books have you read?

Laurence Yep has published over 30 children’s and young adult books. His most recent book, Dragon child: A story of Angel Island is based on an actual conversation between Yep and his father and on his niece’s research on the family’s immigration history. He has authored several book series, stories set in historical and modern times, and has been awarded the Newbery Honor twice. The first time in 1976 for Dragonwings and again in 1994  for Dragon’s Gate. Yep also received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal in 2005. This Medal is adminstered by the Association for  Library Services to Children and is awarded to writers and illustrators who have, over several years, made lasting and meaningful contributions to children’s literature.

Click to read an excerpt.

I have no doubt that Yep’s works will be lasting because they are meaningful.

Laurence Yep’s Reading Rockets interview.

“I love writing. I think of writing as a special way of seeing, because good writing brings out the specialness of ordinary things.”

Laurence Yep’s papertigers blog interview in which when he is asked “How has being of Chinese heritage been important to you?” And he responds:
“The answer to that question has changed dramatically more than once. As a child I hated Chinese school. I wanted to be as American as possible. Then, in my early twenties, I became very interested in my Chinese roots. For years after that, I thought that my function as a Chinese-American writer was to act as a bridge between two cultures. Now, though, I am not so sure that it is possible to blend two cultures together. Asian cultures are family- and cooperation-oriented. American culture on the other hand emphasizes the individual and competition. The two cultures pull in opposite directions. So I see myself now as someone who will always be on the borer between two cultures. That works to my benefit as a writer because not quite fitting in helps me be a better observer.”

“I only knew that there was a certain rightness in life–the feeling you got when you did something the way you knew you should.”
― Laurence Yep, Dragonwings

click for an excerpt

click for an excerpt

I thought I’d counted very carefully, honest guv’nor, but somehow one extra ghost snuck in there – I’m not sure which one – and I’ve ended up with a ‘Reader’s 10′. (If you’re not sure what a Reader’s 10 is, you’ll need to look at Janet Wong’s Top 10: Multicultural Poetry Picks (2002-2012)). So here’s a list of my favorite ghost encounters – they cover a range of age-groups and genres. Some of the ghosts are friendly, some make you ponder, and some are just plain terrifying…

~ The Young Inferno by John Agard, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura – I’ve blogged about this modern take on Dante’s Inferno for a teen audience here and here.  It sends shivers down my spine every time I read it.

~ Takeshita Demons by Cristy Burne – Miku has just moved from Japan to the UK and it soon becomes clear that several yokai demons have followed her there.  When her little brother is kidnapped, her empty, snow-bound secondary school unexpectedly becomes a battle-ground… this will have you on the edge of your seat!

~ Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott – I read this earlier this year on a very choppy ferry crossing and was so riveted that I remained oblivious to the scene of sea-sick desolation around me – yes, I loved it.  Read my review here.

~ Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara – it was love at first sight here with both the illustrations and the sweet story of a witch and her cat who move into a new house that’s full of ghosts.  Imagine putting ghosts through the washer and hanging them up as curtains!

~ Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan – Hannah meets more than she bargained for when she goes to stay with Japanese family friends for the winter – and readers might just have to sleep with the light on after being carried along through the pages into the small wee hours!

~ Just In Case by Yuyi Morales – in this gorgeous sequel to the equally funny and delightful Just A Minute, the ghost of Zelmiro “helps” Señor Calavera to find twenty-two (Spanish Alphabet) presents for Grandma Beetle’s birthday – and tricks him into giving her what she wants most…

~ Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley – there are many ghosts in this tour de force combining spoken and written text, graphic narrative, and music that blends Australian Aboriginal song and movements from the Latin Requiem: both in the lost memories of the stolen generation, and at the end of a young man’s physical and psychological journeys to come to terms with his family’s past.

~ Home of the Brave by Allen Say – a man’s kayaking excursion suddenly brings him into a bewildering, dreamlike encounter with the ghosts of Japanese-American children incarcerated during the Second World War, and jolts him into insight of his own family history.

~ The Barefoot Book of Giants, Ghosts and Goblins retold by John Matthews, illustrated by Giovanni Manna – as might be expected from a Barefoot anthology, this is a beautifully presented and the nine stories from all over the world make great read-alouds. Most notable among the ghosts is the love-sick Cheyenne “Ghost with Two Faces”.

~ The Secret Keepers by Paul Yee – I have to admit, I had real difficulty deciding which one of Paul Yee’s ghost stories to choose for this list… They are all compelling books that are impossible to put down so I’ve gone for The Secret Keepers for purely personal reasons because I was there at the launch and heard Paul reciting the opening.

~ The Ghost Fox by Laurence Yep – a small boy has to use his wits to save his mother from the evil Ghost Fox intent on stealing her soul.  Vivid descriptions and attention to detail; plkenty of tension and some humor too.  Favorite quote: (Fox speaking to servant) “Fool, you don’t celebrate a great victory with turnips.”

And P.S. If you haven’t yet seen our fabulous 10th Anniversary Giveaway, announced yesterday, go here right now!

Reposted from April 18, 2011

The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906, stretches the imagination as to understanding the widespread destruction of our fair city. Natural disasters throughout our shrinking planet have let us to better able comprehend the impact such horrors present to human beings. We can recall most recently the earthquakes of Japan on March 11, 2011,  Abruzzo, Italy on April 6, 2009, and in the Sichuan Province of Central China on May 12, 2008, Hurricane Katrina and the Levee Breaks of August 2005, and the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004.

Those of us in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989 can’t forget the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17.The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco is gathering more data, spearheaded by Gladys Hansen San Francisco City Archivist Emeritus and Curator of the Museum,

In response to repeated requests through our website we are setting out to compile a new and more accurate account of those affected by the 1906 earthquake. We want information on everyone who was here at the time, both survivors and those who perished.

See the Great Register to share your family history and to read about what it was like at the time. Selections young readers might enjoy include: The Great Quake by Beth Geiger (National Geographic Explorer Journal, April 2006), The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Bryan Brown (Junior Scholastic Journal, March 27, 2006), Shake, Rattle and Roar! (Junior Scholastic, March 27, 2006), If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake by Ellen Levine, The Earth Dragon Awakes by Laurence Yep, and A Song for Sung Li by Pamela Dell. These are all available at the San Francisco Public Library searched with keyword San Francisco Earthquake.

How prepared are you? Check out with your family San Francisco’s 72hours.org for advice on how to prepare your family for natural and human made disasters.

Graphic from http://www.kahnfoundation.org/images/sf_fire.png

Related articles 

• Survivor of 1906 San Francisco quake dies at 109 – San Francisco Chronicle

Master story-teller Laurence Yep took his inspiration for his magical version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy-tale from a traditional Chinese tale with a Southern Chinese setting. His The Dragon Prince (HarperCollins, 1997) has some satisfying twists and turns in the narrative and an impressive dragon in the role parallel to the Beast: visually too, thanks to Kam Mak’s powerful illustrations. We just love the noble, enormous, golden dragon, and completely empathised with Beauty/Seven’s inherent trust in the beauty she finds in him, that goes deeper than the fear – even when the Dragon insists, “But you really should be afraid” – yes, Little Brother especially loved that line!

Seven is set apart from her older sisters from the start: while they work in the fields, she does beautiful embroidery, which is then sold at the market, thereby providing the family with the sustenance the rocky ground cannot. The symbolism of this carries the narrative through to its conclusion (it’s a fairy tale so it’s irrelevant to question the point of the other sister’s activities, farming land on which nothing will grow). Three is jealous of Seven – and never more so than when, instead of suffering a terrible fate after agreeing to marry a firece dragon in return for her father’s life, Seven arrives on a visit to her family on a ‘chair of gold and coral’ and with all her maids behind her, descending from the sky in a ‘glittering procession’.

Three therefore tricks Seven and takes her place, preparing the Dragon Prince for a change in his wife’s appearance by saying she’s been ill – which makes for an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast: the Prince “didn’t care. In that short time, Seven had come to mean everything to him, not for her beauty but for her kindness.”

So do they live happily ever after? Well, I highly recommend you get hold of this great story and find out for yourself, and enjoy some cultural nuances along the way. For example, one bit that made me chuckle and served to show the Dragon Prince’s state of mind as he searches deperately for Seven: he buys at a market “without bargaining”!

Gathering Book also featured The Dragon Prince earlier this year, as part of a wonderful series of in-depth posts about Chinese fairy-tales – in case you missed them, here are the other links; they’re definitely worth a read: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (which Little Brother read for our Reading the World Challenge in 2008) and Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (which I have also featured as a Book at Bedtime in the past)…

First Book loves March Madness! We even have a “friendly” bracket competition going on in the office – although President Obama’s bracket was beating all of us the last time we checked.

Even in the midst of the drama and excitement of the tournament, we recognize that basketball teaches so many meaningful life lessons: courage, cooperation, dedication and hard work. Many of the inspirational lessons taught on the basketball court can also be found in the basketball-related titles that we carry in the First Book Marketplace.

So if you’re a teacher or program leader whose kids are swept up in the magic of March Madness, here are some books available on the First Book Marketplace that embody the spirit of basketball:

Laurence Yep’s Dragon Road: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1939, is the story of best friends Cal and Barney who are down and out in Chinatown. In the America of 1939, they are trapped by invisible barriers created by racial prejudice. With no jobs and no real homes, it’s only their wizardry with a basketball that’s let them survive this long. That same skill suddenly flings a door open to fame and fortune when a professional basketball team, the Dragons, invites them to join the team.

Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big by Chris Paul and & Frank Morrison, chronicles the story of NBA all-star basketball player Chris Paul. When Chris was a kid everyone told him that he was too small to play basketball. But he ignored them all…because he had BIG dreams.

Off the Rim by Fred Bowen, is the story of Chris, who yearns to be more than a benchwarmer on the Oak View Middle School basketball team. With the help of his best friend Greta and her mom, Chris begins to change his defensive strategy and successfully learns to keep his opponents from scoring.

If you work with children from low-income communities, be sure to register your classroom or program with First Book so we can help you get books for your kids in March, and throughout the year.

On this day in 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. No matter what you think about the use of the bomb, there can be no doubt that this event changed the lives of millions of people. Not only did thousands of Japanese men, women, and children die, but the rest of us have had to live with the fear of nuclear war ever since. The story of what took place in Hiroshima, and later in Nagasaki, is a grim and painful one. Many of us would prefer that our children not know about what happened on that day. But, as my daughter told me a few years ago, "I want to know, so I can remember those people." Now my daughter and I light a candle on August 6th every year, to remember. I have also shared several children's books with her that describe what took place on that terrible day and why. You can find my reviews of these books on the Atomic Bomb feature page. Though all the books in the feature are excellent, I found Laurence Yep's book, Hiroshima, to be particularly meaningful and moving.
This year Elise and I are on the Hawaiian island of Maui on this 6th of August. We are going to light a candle as we always do, and we will remember.

Though I'm sure your kids received lots of picture books for Christmas and Hanukkah, I have a few more this week that I've enjoyed and hope you will find enjoyable as well! I'm going on a pseudo-safari this week, bringing you a book about a tiger, one about a giraffe, and another about a gorilla. Enjoy!

Auntie Tiger, written by the AMAZING Laurence Yep and illustrated by Insu Lee reads like a fairy tale. Yep has created a Chinese adaptation of the much loved children's tale, Little Red Riding Hood, replacing the feared wolf with "Auntie Tiger." Done in beautifully bright and tropical illustrations, with giggle-worthy text, two sisters filled with rivalry try to protect each other against the Tiger claiming to be their "Auntie."

A reader really can't go wrong when picking up a Laurence Yep book, though this one is much lighter and more humorous than most of his picture books. Auntie Tiger would be great for a unit on multi-cultural fairy tales or just to read aloud.

Now, giraffes are one of my absolute favorite animals, so I had to include a giraffe selection in our safari this week! Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey, written and illustrated by James Runford is probably not going to entertain your smaller children, as it's a bit long and word heavy, but it may be a great choice for a couple of nights worth of bedtime reading. Told in one-page chapters, the reader learns of what giraffes meant to the Chinese people, as well as Tweega the giraffe's personal adventure from his home in Africa, all the way to China.

A great history lesson filled with beautiful illustrations, Chee-Lin is based on a painting created in 1414. Chinese exploration is the main topic here, but for children, the story of an adorable giraffe just wanting to be free will be the real standout.

Finally, we have a heartwarming and guaranteed smile story in Little Beauty, written and illustrated by Anthony Browne. Based on the true story of a gorilla at the San Diego Zoo that had learned how to sign, our main character is indeed a huge gorilla. He had everything he ever wanted after learning to sign his wants and needs, except one thing...he wanted a friend. The zoo keepers brought him a kitten that he named "Beauty."

The gorilla and kitten fill this story with love and sweetness. Your kids (and you) are just going to feel happy after reading this one, making it truly wonderful for an anytime read. Browne's illustrations are pretty great too...overall this one definitely gets two thumbs up!

If you're interested in learning more about any of these, or to purchase, click on any of the book covers to link to Amazon.

We’ve recently posted our celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to the PaperTigers website (click now or click later, but do hop on over and enjoy the new features) and, as usual, we had more material then we could fit into the update. So here are some additional thoughts for you to mull over:

I found interesting words by authors Linda Sue Park and Laurence Yep pointing to an intersection, so to speak, between fantasy/science fiction and multicultural literature. And the idea that the themes and scenarios explored in some science fiction books might resonate with immigrant and biracial children is an intriguing one…

In a video interview to Reading rockets, Laurence Yep speaks of “adapting to different realities” in a time when books reflecting his own experiences didn’t exist:

I lived in an Afro-American neighborhood and went to school in Chinatown. So the books that I really found true to my own life were fantasy and science-fiction, because in those books you have children from an ordinary world or ordinary place taken to another world, where they have to learn strange, new customs and a strange, new language. Those books talked about adapting, and that was something I did every time I got on and off the bus.

And Linda Sue Park says, in her answer to a question from Cynthia Leitich Smith about the lack of non-white protagonists in fantasy and science fiction:

Fantasy and science fiction generally posit the protagonist as an “other,” amid races and species that are not of this world. Some writers whose lives are lived as part of the majority might feel that they have to leave the real world, as it were, in order to place their characters in environs of alienation. But writers of color don’t need to do that–we’ve got plenty of alienation right here (…). As we continue to get more comfortable in the mainstream of both life and literature, I think we’ll start to see more characters of color in other genres. These things take time.

From a time when fantasy and science fiction about “alien worlds” were closer to home for a young Chinese American boy than the rest of the available stories, to a time when all genres, including fantasy and science fiction, feature characters of color… Now that’s something to think about and root for.

It was fun.

(I'll do a slightly dessicated version here, because I'm in the lounge at Narita and don't have long before my plane boards now...)

I was brought in for the Ad Congress -- I gave a talk about the imagination and why it is a good thing, and then, on Saturday morning, did a reading of the complete first chapter of The Graveyard Book, an interview and a signing for about 200 people (it was only meant to be for the first 100 in the line -- some of whom started lining up at midnight -- but I added in about an extra 45 minutes signing at the end). Then to Manila -- on the way I read the finalists for the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards, and was really impressed by the quality of the prose stories. Fully Booked runs the awards, and on Saturday morning I found myself sitting in Fully Booked while stacks of copies of Expeditions were put in front of me to sign. These were the two collections (prose and comics) of winners and runners-up from the first Award, last year. Many interviews followed, and a mass press conference. And then, in the afternoon, I had the odd experience of being a magicians' assistant (for local magician Eric Bana) and awards presenter, in front of a large crowd (and despite the rain), and I announced the thing we're adding to the awards for next year (a short films category), and at one point I dragged Mike up on stage with me (when I was asked about being a children's author and having children), and I sort of promised I'd come back for the third round, and that I'd do a signing if I did...

(I loved the whole trip but it was made much more fun by having a son with me.)

Then dinner with the winners and judges from this year and last year's competition.

Back to the hotel, and up at 5.00am to leave Manila. And now I'm here.

Expect postings to decrease between here and Xmas. I have a book to finish, and I'm done gallivanting, I hope... Read the rest of this post